Forget Ferries, Seaplanes Are Ready to Take Island Hopping to the Next Level

Surcar Airlines is the name of a young company that’s determined to introduce seaplane services in the Canary Islands. According to The Points Guy, it’s been 65 years since the last regular seaplane operations in this area. This ambitious project is also possible thanks to Nordic Seaplanes, which is an investor in the new airline. The Danish company is proud to be the operator of the only regular seaplane route in Europe. Its amphibious aircraft operate between Copenhagen and Aarhus, the country’s second-largest city.

Starting at the beginning of 2022 and throughout the last few weeks, a 16-seater Twin Otter owned by Nordic Seaplanes has been conducting demonstration flights with local authorities and journalists on board, The Points Guy reports. The Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the base for the DHC-6 amphibious aircraft. Although Canary inter-island transportation isn’t a very big market, it’s significant for Spain’s tourism industry, and this new seaplane service could give it a boost.

According to the same media source, there’s a second airline intending to launch seaplane operations in Spain, as well as a new company aiming for the same thing in Greece. It will be interesting to see whether these new seaplane service projects will be successful across Europe since previous ones didn’t end up lasting too long – as a result, the only regular route for these amphibious means of transportation is the Danish one.

Meanwhile, electric versions of amphibious aircraft are also promising to change coastal and island transportation. For example, a 180 mph (290 kph) electric seaglider is getting ready to start operating in the Tampa Bay area by 2025.